Ok Jeep Community... I now have been unexpectedly forced into the tire market. I want something with great all-weather traction especially in heavy rain and ice (which I don't have now), won't kill me on gas mileage, not completely deafening road noise, but with an aggressive side wall for the times I do go off road... Kelly Safari AT 31x10.5R15LT is my current tire... please be cost considerate in your suggestions, as I obviously need 5 and this is NOT a planned purchase.

P.S. I'm running a 2006 Wrangler Golden Eagle on the stock 15" gold wheels that come with the package. I've got a 2" lift, but want to stay at 31" tires for articulation purposes

I could keep listing, but options get more expensive, and I submit to you that any one of these choices is superior to Kelly Safari ATR. Prices were determined using either Treadwright.com and Tirerack.com

I'd like to start by saying that NO tire is good on ice. The closest you'll get to decent performance on ice is a Nokian winter tire or perhaps a heavily studded tire. As such, I won't be addressing ice performance at all as my official stance regarding ice is: use a set of winter tires if you must drive in icy conditions or avoid it completely if possible. I've lived in Wisconsin my whole life and drive in Minnesota and Wisconsin winters regularly every year, so I'm not some schmuck without real winter driving experience.

TW Wardens are clones of BFG AT. They are retreads. No, retreads are not more dangerous or unreliable than new tires especially not from Treadwright. I can support/prove this claim if necessary, but if you intend to fear retreads anyway and intend on having a closed mind about it like some do, let me know up front so that I don't waste my time--I'm sick of trying to talk to people with their heads stuck in the sand (or up their ***). The Wardens will be great on the road and great off the road with the exception of lots of mud. The BFG AT tread design isn't the greatest in snow, but it's not the worst, either; it's downfall is that it likes to push snow instead of cutting through it and pack-up with sticky snow. Kedge Grip will shorten their life a little, but it really does enhance wet and cold/snow grip noticeably. They'll still be more cost-effective than a new tire in terms of dollar per mile during their lifespan even with the Kedge.

TW Guard Dogs are clones of the original Goodyear MTR. They may have some road noise, but nothing extreme that I ever experienced. They're pretty unstoppable off the road and are still OK on the road. Give them some Kedge if you really want to maximize rain and snow grip. As an MT, they may not last as long as some other tires, but that's to be expected with ANY MT tire, and Treadwrights are still cheaper on a dollars per mile level even with the Kedge. As an MT tire, they may not necessarily be the best in slick rain or snowy conditions, but they'll still be at least decent, and Kedge can help a lot in this regard which is something other MT's don't have as an option. Also as an MT, they're not likely to result in MPG as good as AT tires.

The Kumho's are cheap, light-weight, solid all-arounders. They may or may not have a slightly shorter life than other AT tires depending on how diligent you are about rotations and balance, but they are slightly cheaper anyway. Nothing super special with this tire, but nothing really wrong with it either, and the price is pretty good.

The Gen AT2's are tough tires that are similar to the BFG AT design with better snow performance and slightly better mud performance (I still would avoid mud if possible to be safe). Great on the road. Great off the road. Pretty good price tag. I'm not sure where you're from, but these are studdable as well if that's something you're allowed to do and are interested in.

The Herc AT2's are a rather new all-terrain tire, and a fantastic one at that. I can testify that they're great in everything but mud; I suspect that like most AT tires they're not good in the mud, but I have no experience with them in mud. They're very similar (but better in my opinion) to Toyo AT2 and Nitto Terra Grappler but with a better price and made in the US by a US company (if that matters to you).

FS Dest AT is an all-star. It may not be the best anymore, but its consistently been among the best for many, many years and isn't showing any signs of being forgotten anytime soon even as more modern AT tires continue to be developed. I feel repetitive here telling you to avoid mud with these*, but AT tires just don't handle mud well, and if you want mud performance, you have to sacrifice something and get an MT tire. Some people don't like their performance in snow, others do; many reviewers don't really have a clue about what they're talking about, have an agenda, are biased in some way, etc...I take user reviews with a massive grain of salt. What I'LL say is that they may not be the ultra-greatest tire in snow, but they're as good as I'd ever expect from an AT tire. For winter conditions, I'm an avid advocate of using a set of actual winter tires instead anyway, so I don't concern myself with winter performance of all-season tires too much anymore.

*When I say "mud" by the way, I'm talking about deep/thick mud, not just a dirt trail that's a little wet and has some mud on the surface.

The GY Wrang Adventures are a new tire intended to replace the Wrang Silent Armors. I have no experience with them but am quite optimistic and wish they came in a size for me. They have a Kevlar layer, so they'll be very tough just like the Silent Armors and MTR with Kevlar. Like all AT's, I expect them to have poor mud performance, but I expect them to be great elsewhere; unsure of snow frankly, but I doubt they'll be terrible. I suspect, especially given the number of cheaper options, that these won't interest you too much anyway.

If you can find them for a better deal than I ever found online, other tires worth considering (and similar in nature to the Herc AT2) are: Hankook Dynapro ATM, Cooper Discoverer AT3, Toyo Open Country AT2, Nitto Terra Grappler.

You find the same brands mschi posted for a lot less. I love my cooper at3 on the snow and ice.

mschi772

04-05-2014 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick_rob
(Post 21897481)

You find the same brands mschi posted for a lot less. I love my cooper at3 on the snow and ice.

Less than Treadwrights? In 31x10.5r15? No, I don't think so, not without some sort of rebate or special deal. I fully support all of the tires I listed including Treadwright and many more that I didn't list, but the OP has specific concerns, budget being one of them, and I honored all of those concerns as best I could.

Cooper AT3 is a great tire, but you'd be lucky to get a set of 5 31" for less than $700, and snow/ice is actually one of the AT3's weak points so much so that Cooper has said that they will be designing and releasing a more winter-friendly version of the AT3 (alongside the original AT3) for people where winter is a larger concern. Ther Herc AT2 are similar and at least as good for less money, and I feel they are actually better. I speak on specific tire models, not brands--all brands have winners and losers, so there is no sense in declaring an entire brand better or worse than another.

KKiowaTJ

04-05-2014 09:19 PM

Ive been more than happy with my general AT2's. After I bought them, I really didn't use 4wd the rest of the winter. Great on ice/snow and wet weather. They run true to size and have a thicker sidewall than most. Good luck either way

srgpixie

04-05-2014 09:32 PM

Thanks for all the input. I've also been looking into Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs and Firestone Destination AT... so many choices!!

MyKeyB

04-05-2014 10:05 PM

Might want to check out the Goodyear Wrangler Trail Mark. It's not real agressive but a nice 50,000 mile tire. I'd call it an agressive all season tire. It's a Wal-Mart exclusive tire and the price is good. I paid $109 ea. for 235 70 16's. It seems like a pretty good tire for the price. They go like hell in the snow and go through puddles pretty good.

rick_rob

04-05-2014 11:41 PM

General grabber at 2 for 122.00 a tire regular price. With 9.50 shipping.I only only paid 609.00 for my at3 brand new mounted and balanced on15x8 d windows shipped to me. Summit racing will match treaddepot.coms pricing.

mschi772

04-06-2014 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srgpixie
(Post 21901577)

Thanks for all the input. I've also been looking into Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs and Firestone Destination AT... so many choices!!

I thought you were on a budget, but if you budget allows Duratracs, I can expand my list quite a bit. They're about $735 for 5 after rebate right now. Yeah, about the same as the Adventures that I DID list, but I also felt the Adventures are far too expensive for someone forced to buy and with a limited budget. The rebate helps a bit, too. Normally you'd be paying about $800.

srgpixie

04-06-2014 02:04 PM

For those running the General grabber AT 2 - in the online photo, it looks like it has a recessed shoulder block... true? If so, how does that perform off road?

KKiowaTJ

04-06-2014 09:04 PM

1 Attachment(s)

Here is a up close real life pic of the tread/sidewall of the at2. They are 31-10.50-15's.
I DD it 100+ miles a day and they still look new and have only lost between 1-2/32" in the 8k they have seen already. So far even the mild mud performance is good for a 50k+ a/t tire.
For the money there is no better a/t IMO and I have ran many a/t's and m/t tires. I also own a set of the new cooper at3's and while they do great, They are still not as good as the general at2's. The price is also the best out of all the comparable tires.

srgpixie

04-06-2014 09:11 PM

I appreciate the photo and info. Im in my TJ roughly 60-75 miles daily. So that perspective is super helpful! Thank you

langwilliams

04-11-2014 10:32 PM

thanks for the info on that treadwright site! Marked it for next time I need tires